


That Old Song and Dance

by TrickCheebs



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Gen, bored ink people just wanna have fun, i only know the bare basics of how pool's played dont expect this to be like a play by play, local animator escapes death via shenanigans, sammy's got a bit more sense and can be swayed to not do a murder in favor of having some fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-04 09:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14590125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrickCheebs/pseuds/TrickCheebs
Summary: Henry's trapped and at Sammys mercy, about to become his sacrifice to the Ink Demon..things look fairly grim.Well until Henry somehow manages to convince the inky music director to give him one last request, a simple game of pool. To both their surprise, Sammy's more than willing to go along with the request. Being the Ink Demon's sole prophet seems to be a fairly lonely job, more than his old job one could think.Henry uses this information to do more than save his hide from ending up as a sacrifice.





	That Old Song and Dance

His head ached, we not so much ached as more of a very persistent angry pounding behind his eyes, but the rest of him ached to make up for that fact. But why did every inch of him ache? Oh right, the last few moments slowly came trickling back in through the pounding of his head.. He had returned to the studio to talk with Joey Drew, and only found trouble..and even more recently nearly died from a fall..and last he could remember was..

"There we go...Nice and tight my little sheep, we wouldn't want you roaming away now would we?"

Oh right...now he remembered the rest, he had gotten taken by surprise from behind and knocked out cold by who he would guess was the old music director, Sammy Lawrence. Of course he'd never guess the figure now more or less holding him hostage was the same man from so long ago, the Sammy standing before him looked a lot more intimidating with a healthy side of concerning. The new Sammy wore a broken Bendy cutout like a mask, that couldn't be comfortable pressed against his face like that... Seeing him this close a small but morbid thought over the face that did he even have a face behind that thing arose, only making matters worse when the man in question leaned in far to close for Henry's comfort..

He probably should of been paying attention to what Sammy was saying instead of staring at him so damn hard, what was he saying about believers and being noticed? Sacrifice?? Oh..oh boy that did not spell good news for him if what Sammy was prattling on about held any weight. The ropes held him fairly tightly to whatever Sammy was using to keep him ready for "His Lord".. And frankly he did not want any part of it..he had to act fast, maybe convince the other that this wasn't a good idea? He had to do something before that thing that chased him down here decided to make a appearance.

"Hey, hey hold up a second! Sammy wait, wait please..you're uh...you're forgetting the most important part of the rites!"

"...Oh? My little sheep knows something I don't?"

Sammy had stopped walking for the door to turn back towards Henry, curiosity in his voice as he stared at the other.. Henry on the other hand was mentally wailing at himself, he had talked without even thinking..He didn't know a damned thing about sacrificing..no sane person did in this day and age.. But it seemed to have gotten Sammy's attention, so he had to work fast. Maybe he could get free and clear without having to fight the so called Prophet... 

"Well..y-yeah, you've missed a very important step...You wouldn't want your sacrifice to be rejected would you?"

"Of course not! I want our lord to be pleased and free me from this hellish inky form I call a body."

Looking Sammy over one more..Henry quietly noted that for a inky prison, it looked fairly well defined..Not even he could look that good.....Focus, focus on not dying Henry, not on your old coworkers abs..

"Of course you do, so you gotta do this the right way or he might reject it entirely right? ...You uh, were doing everything perfectly but you missed one key step regarding it."

"What is it? Tell me what I missed so that I can make this perfect for him..My Lord only deserves the best."

"Well...you need to grant the uh...sacrifice a last request! So...their souls can be at peace when the time comes to do, y'know the sacrificing bit."

Henry gave a weak smile to the demon worshiping musician as silence crept in behind that godawful excuse of a lie. Would Sammy even buy that nonsense? Henry knew the second the words left his mouth that is was straight garbage, a toddler would be able to see it was nothing more than a lie to help get him out of deaths awaiting embrace. Feeling himself begin to sweat as Sammy did nothing but stare him down...honestly with that stupid mask over his face..if he even had one that is, he couldn't tell what the other was thinking. 

"...Are you...quite certain this is the way my little sheep? It sounds..suspicious."

"Oh of course, you don't want your lord being upset with the..uhh overall quality of the sacrifice..And I promise the thing I'd ask for is a minor thing really."

Sammy continued to stare him down for another minute more...

"Then what is it you'd request as your last act before being sacrificed then my little sheep?"

Oh...he..he actually bought it? Henry was at a loss for words now, but he really needed to think fast..Being allowed to escape was clearly a no go, Sammy wasn't that stupid and he wasn't about to try his luck any further with the matter.. It had to be something simple, but enough to let him think more on how to escape..Or maybe get clear of Sammy long enough to get to a safer area..As his mind whirled a idea popped up. A simple request but one he figured might work enough.

"...A game of pool or two. I uh, saw the billiards table and it brings me back..so maybe you and me play some and when we're done we go from there?"

"A game of pool? ..I admit I haven't played the game much...it's been some time since I even bothered with it.."

"That's alright, we can play a few practice games for both of us to get the hang of things again how about?"

"Fine..a game of pool it is then..hold still while I undo the ropes.."

If he wasn't trying not to get a fast one by the music director he'd be laughing at how stupid this plan was, more so that it was even working. He held still as requested, trying his hardest not to be outwardly impressed by Sammy's...physique..Old habits die hard, and as a animator he couldn't quite help but admire his overall definition and general shape the others body had formed into..

It also told him that getting into a dang fist fight was probably not the best idea, as old as he was now there was little chance he'd be able to hold his own against Sammy if those muscles weren't all for show. He'd have to use his wits to get around this one...and thankfully Sammy didn't quite seem to be all there..

Before he knew it the ropes had pooled at his feet and Sammy had moved to collect the axe, more than likely to keep it out of Henry's reach for now.

"This way then my little sheep, if you'll follow me."

Surprisingly, Henry follows Sammy back to the room the billiards table was kept, he had thought of running a few times during the quiet trek back..But when it was somewhat obvious Sammy knew the area better than he did, chances of out running him seemed slim. At least it gave him time to think of a counter attack, maybe grab the axe while Sammy's distracted? Or maybe knock him out when he's not looking, the irony to that didn't slip past Henry. Most if not all of his plans seemed to revolve around Sammy being distracted in some way or form.. And well as long as Henry could provide a good enough distraction then the rest would surely fall into place right?

Soon enough they reached the pool room, it's still as dingy as ever..And right about now Henry realizes as he nears the table exactly two things. One being that they don't have pool cues, likely stolen or otherwise after so many years down here.. And two..several of the balls seemed to be missing...or false eyes?? He quietly ignored the revulsion at the idea of putting someones lost eye around for sport..But right now that was the least of his worries honestly.

"Well..what do you wish to do now little sheep?"

Oh god...when did Sammy get behind him? Henry suppressed the shiver trying to run up his spine hearing the music director sounding..so close and menacing..it didn't help that he still held the axe. Right..well they didn't have pool cues so...he'd have to wing it as best he could and hope Sammy wouldn't catch on too quickly.

"Well...we don't have any pool cues to use..we could use the axe to shoot..We're also missing a few balls but that's alright, we can still play straight pool just fine..That's when we each take turns making shots to get to uh..how about 100 points? Sounds good to you?"

"..Sounds..easy enough yes..Are you sure we must use the axe for this?"

"Do you know where to find us some pool cues Sammy? I won't do anything you wouldn't do here, it's just a nice game between....two gentlemen right?"

"....Of course, then since you seem to know more of this game..I'll let you make the first hit."

As Sammy handed over the axe, Henry smiled a bit..well least it was going good so far right? The first hit scattered the balls as usual, none quite slipping into the pockets just yet. The game started off slow, and a bit awkward as they both adjusted to using a axe handle as a pool cue of all things. The points slowly added up..Sammy surprisingly getting the hang of things faster than Henry expected..

But one thing that always seems to happen when people play games with one another, is talk. As the two of them got more and more confident in their abilities, Henry found himself praising Sammy's more complex shots, and in turn the "prophet" congratulated him on his own maneuvers. Soon they even began simple chatter, Henry even daring to use Sammy's actual name, finding the other slowly warming up the more time passed..

"This game's going quite well wouldn't you agree little sheep? ...No..you have a true name don't you? Please, tell me it if you like..You aren't a sheep anymore..at least not to me.."

"Oh...Well, name's Henry..Good to finally meet you Sammy."

"Henry..? I...I know that name, or..I used to. Strange....but it is a pleasure to meet you as well Henry..You're the first guest I've had in ages..that's given me this much fun before."

"Well...I suppose your line of work doesn't leave much time for fun?"

Being trapped and crazy enough to worship some creepy thing made possibly outta ink must take a lot of time out of the day..But Henry wasn't going to ask that, he had some common sense still at his age...Invading abandoned studios aside.

"No..I do have plenty of time alongside that which I devote to our lord and savior..but..Not often to I have time to simply..enjoy things as I once have..I can't remember why anymore..The others don't seem to remember either..Jack might of but...he's indisposed of for the time being."

"Oh was that.....oh. Sorry about that..I uh didn't know he was a friend of yours.."

"It's fine..he will re-emerge sooner or later like the others did..It just takes them longer than some..I'm sure he will forgive you upon his return."

"...I'll take your word for it Sammy..thank you."

The game continued on with more banter, before long Sammy finally winning the final point..Henry briefly panicking...he didn't think they'd finish the game so soon...And he had been enjoying the odd game enough that he momentarily forgot he was in potentially life threatening danger..But as he tried to come up with a back up plan, Sammy had begun setting the balls back up in their starting position once more. Watching the other do as such, he couldn't stop the stupid question that immediately popped up in his head from being blurted out seconds after it appeared.

"...Sammy what are you doing? You won the game.."

"I am well aware of this...Henry. But..I have been doing some thinking..I rather enjoy this game and..well it's been some time since I've had anyone stable enough to play alongside me.. I'm torn now between continuing on and sacrificing you as planned to my lord.. Or letting you live for my own selfish reasons."

Oh...well this was certainly a good turn of events, was all Sammy needed was some time to just have a bit of fun and human contact?? Well..looking at him now it was obvious he did not get outside much...or at all really. A few hours of human interaction worked wonders..well if it'd save his skin he'd gladly make friends with just about anyone down here..Long as they were as easy to sway as Sammy was..hopefully.

"Jeeze Sammy..I'm not gonna say no to another round or two..and heck maybe this is what your lord would of wanted? Instead of sacrificing me, maybe you were supposed to help yourself..Sorta like self fulfillment or what have you. I'm sure he's happy as a peach to see the turn of events, and that his prophet's uh...expanding his flock."

Henry tested the waters with that one but it did seem like Sammy wasn't quite as adamant about the sacrificing thing now, much to his immense relief. Maybe with some effort he could try getting some actual information from the old musician about what in gods name went down in the studio. That is if Sammy even remembered anything prior to becoming a self proclaimed "prophet". Sammy on the other hand seemed to stare once more at Henry, the fact that he lacked any discernible features and wore that disturbing mask made guessing what was going through his head several times harder than needed.

"......Perhaps he is. Perhaps this was, as you say a test of sorts for me to gauge my devotion. You know quite a great deal of this place Henry, that alone makes me believe you were meant to be here."

"Yeah, you could say something like that happened. Speaking of which, I uh need to find someone down here and I really don't know my way around. Since you're his prophet, maybe you and I can see about heading deeper in to find my....pal. Would you mind helping me with that?"

The offer was a shot in the dark honestly, but as far as Henry was concerned he'd most likely need all the help he could get. Sammy was familiar with things, that alone was more than Henry had. If he was going to find Joey and get answers, he'd need a helping hand or two to get there, or least that's what his gut was telling him.

"You wish to venture further into my lords domain? Well, I suppose as his prophet it would be rude of me to not guide his sheep accordingly. There are less than generous souls lurking in the dark that have fallen out of grace with him, it wouldn't be good for you to run afoul of them."

".....is that a yes then?"

"That is a yes Henry. We'll get going after I beat you in this next round how about?"

 

"Pft, alright sounds good to me Sammy. I'll even let you go first this time"

"Oh how gracious you are Henry"

He could almost hear the grin in that voice, finding one of his own growing on his face as he watched Sammy get the game started. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> the second part to my ongoing series of "Merry Melodies, Alternate Realities" where Henry manages to convince Sammy to play some pool and fuckin relax for once. The inky prophet could definitely use the time to have some fun and unwind, and maybe come to his senses.
> 
> i sorta just wrote this bc i had watched a few streams where the players messed with the pool table and had a blast, and i jus wanted to write out the mental image of Henry and Sammy failing to play a decent game of pool using a axe as a pool cue.


End file.
